Susan Feniger's Sweet and Sour Eggplant

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Towards the end of the summer, eggplant tends to get the brunt of my vegetable exhaustion. By the time I reach for it, it will have been languishing in the crisper drawer until a bit too shriveled to eat in any way not roasted and pureed. So when I saw a new style of eggplant recipe in Susan Feniger's Street Food, I jumped on it.

Feniger's recipe is an interpretation of Eastern European eggplant salad made bold with a stewed tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, and a generous scoop of brown sugar. The eggplant is salted and then coated in a bright parsley-scallion pesto before being fried in copious amounts of oil. After it has been reduced to a silky, rich version of its former self, the eggplant spends a quick 10 minutes stewing with the tomatoes, sugar, and vinegar. It may not be the sexiest eggplant dish imaginable, but the final salad is certainly a unique take on the aubergine.

Why I picked this recipe: A new take on eggplant is always welcome in my house.

What worked: Salting, searing, and stewing eggplant yields a supple and silky texture, perfect for soaking up the flavorful tomato-vinegar mixture. The final dish tastes good hot, warm, and cool, making for a versatile summer dish.

What didn't: The pesto coating on the eggplant stuck firmly to the skillet, even when using the two tablespoons of oil suggested. A quick switch to a non-stick skillet solved the problem.

Suggested tweaks: Besides a pan swap, I'd probably dial back the sugar just a bit (1/3 cup instead of 1/2) next time. I'd also like to try serving the salad with watercress, goat cheese, and sourdough bread, as Feniger suggests in the headnote.

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